Camera bags can be one of the most difficult pieces of equipment to choose. No camera bag is made to fit every occasion so I will here talk about some different types of bags and cover a few points to consider.

Learn how each kind of lens filter works and how they can assist you in capturing vibrant, well-exposed photos; includes information on ultraviolet, infrared, natural density, polarized, and optical filters.

Most of these center around different ways of exposing your shots - however many cameras also give options for different focusing modes (auto, continuous focusing for moving subjects and manual). It’s no wonder then that many photographers never make use of their camera and lens’ ability to focus manually. In fact this week I spoke with one DSLR owner recently who hadn’t even noticed the manual/auto focus switch on the side of his lens. Image by dsevilla When is Manual Focus Better than Au

The second thing that levels the playing field is that now, with the LCD monitor on the back of your camera, you can see if you "got the shot." And by "got the shot," I mean you can tell if your color is in the ballpark, if your subject blinked when the photo was taken, if your flash actually firedthat sort of thing (I'm not trying to trivialize themthese are huge advantages). But because the LCD monitor is so small, it can also fool you.

There are some looks and effects in photography that can still be best achieved by using special equipment on the camera. Read on to find out how to use filters and special effects to spice up your images.